Ahead of the second leg of the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2018 Final, an official press-conference was held on Friday 9 November at the match venue, Azadi Stadium, Teheran. Coaches and players from Persepolis (Iran) and Kashima Antlers took the podium to share their aspirations.

With their 2-0 win in the first leg played at home, Kashima Antlers are in place to secure their first ever ACL title with a draw or better in the second leg. They can also win the title in case of a loss with a one-goal margin, or a loss with a two-goal margin while scoring at least one away goal.

The match will be broadcasted live on BS Nippon Television Network, CS Nippon Television Network G+, or Nippon Television Network NEWS24 from 24:00 Japan time on 10 November.

Coaches and Players' Comments

OIWA Go Coach (Kashima Antlers)
We hope to take control of the second leg by playing solid defence from the front line while seeking to score goals effectively. We are hearing that many of our supporters will be cheering on us on site. They may be a small crowd compared to the home side, that will give us great strengths on the pitch.

SUZUKI Yuma (Kashima Antlers)
As Coach Oiwa mentioned, this will be a very difficult match for us. However, if we can stay aggressive and press hard from the early minutes, we should be able to win the match. Although tomorrow is the final match, we just have to do what we usually do and support each other. We just hope that we will be standing as the winners at the end of the match.

Branko IVANKOVIC, Coach (Persepolis)
Tomorrow’s match will be the most important match I will face in the 30 years I’ve spent in Teheran. Although we have lost the first leg, we still have the second leg where we welcome our opponents to our home field. This will be a big match and I hope our players can perform 200% of their abilities to make it our night. I believe in my players that they will showcase a better performance than the first leg and win the title to make this a season to remember.

Ehsan HOSSEINI (Persepolis)
We will enter tomorrow’s match with a very high motivation. This final match is a huge match for us and we hope to display a good performance in front of our home supporters. You can tell the magnitude of this match by observing this press-conference, but we believe in ourselves that we can showcase an entertaining match tomorrow to be crowned as champions.

Tournament Period: 30 January - 10 November 2018

Final 1st Leg
Sat. 3 November 15:00 Kashima Antlers (Japan) vs Persepolis (Iran)
Match Venue: Kashima Soccer Stadium

Final 2nd Leg
Sat. 10 November 18:30 Persepolis (Iran) vs Kashima Antlers (Japan)
Match Venue: Azadi Stadium

Tournament Information